Tyne Stop Line facts for kids
The Tyne Stop Line was a special defensive line built in North East England during World War II. It stretched from the Rede Valley in Northumberland all the way to Newcastle upon Tyne. This line was part of a bigger plan to protect Britain from a possible invasion by Nazi Germany. It was meant to be the main defence for the North East if an attack came from the north.
If German forces had invaded, the plan was for them to be slowed down at the Coquet Stop Line. This line was about 30 miles north in Northumberland. This delay would give the British army time to get ready at the Tyne Stop Line. If the Tyne line was ever broken through, British forces would then move back to the Derwent Stop Line, about 10 miles south.
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How They Planned to Defend the Tyne
The British had a detailed plan for defending the Tyne Stop Line.
Stopping the Enemy at Bridges
As soon as an invasion was confirmed, a special group of engineers would quickly move north. Their job was to blow up over 100 road, rail, and foot bridges along the River Tyne. Holes for the explosives were already drilled in these bridges, and you can still see some of them today! Roads leading to the Tyne were also planned to be mined and blocked with craters.
The big bridges in Newcastle were also mined. However, these were not to be blown up until the very last moment. This was to allow British soldiers to retreat south if needed. One bridge, the Swing Bridge, was to be disabled right away.
Protecting Tyneside's Industries
Tyneside itself was divided into 18 different areas, each with its own defence plan. Beaufront Castle, near Hexham, was chosen as the main headquarters for the region.
Important business owners met with military leaders to plan a "scorched earth" strategy for Tyneside's major factories. This meant that if an invasion happened, they would destroy or disable their own machinery. Each factory had a secret code word. When they heard their word, they would remove important parts from their machines to make them useless to the enemy.
Other Defence Plans
Other signals, like the ringing of church bells, would start different parts of the defence plan:
- Makeshift roadblocks would appear all over Tyneside. In Newcastle, for example, they would be on roads like West Road and Shields Road.
- Electricity would be cut off by blowing up key points in the power network.
- Trains would be moved to hidden country lines south of the Tyne and then disabled.
- Docks along the Tyne and coast would be blocked, and their machinery would be disabled.
- Fuel storage areas would be destroyed.
- The ferry landings at North and South Shields would be blown up, and the ferries would be sunk.
- All major explosive and ammunition stores would have their contents blown up or destroyed.
Local headquarters and supply stores were also set up. These included places like Manors Railway Station, the Royal Grammar School, and the Newcastle Co-op building on Newgate Street.
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